Director of Music and Performing Arts

Private schools are widespread within the Kenyan education system and about a dozen UK-style prep schools are at the forefront of primary education. Peponi House is at the forefront of those prep schools.

Located in a leafy suburb of Nairobi, the school has just been almost completely rebuilt with state-of-the-art classrooms and a wealth of other facilities.  These include a stunning multi-function hall with a capacity for over 2000 people, a smaller performance space and a specialist music building.  We are already using these new resources to raise the bar in everything we do, and a very recent ISI Inspection in March rated us “Excellent” throughout.

From September we are bringing Music and Drama together into a single department, and we are seeking a talented and experienced Director of Music of Music & Performing Arts to lead things forward.

You must be an accomplished musician with a strong background in academic and instrumental music, experienced at managing a team of peripatetic teachers and creating, organising and managing both small and large performances.  You must also appreciate Drama in its widest sense and be able to treat the whole performing arts area as an integrated opportunity to develop skills, interest and confidence among our pupils.

You will be excited about making the very most of our fantastic new facilities, which give us the chance to take Kenyan music and drama teaching to a whole new level. Bring your ideas, your passion and develop your vision for what a really good school can achieve. We're excited about the potential to take things much further, and you’ll receive every encouragement from the Head, your colleagues, and the 470 pupils at the school.  

You’ll also enjoy being here.  Peponi House is friendly and bubbly, with a palpable sense of family that over-arches everything we do. With some 45 nationalities, we learn from each other as well as from lessons, gadgets, and activities. There are lots of friendships, with lots of laughter and lots of fun, and music and drama play an important part in all this. 

To apply you must be knowledgeable, forward-thinking, a fully qualified teacher and really enthusiastic about all the performing arts. You do not need to have had experience in the independent education sector, but you do need to have a passion for offering an inspirational and inclusive education, encouraging and developing each and every child.

In return we are offering great job satisfaction and the chance to achieve a better quality of life in a wonderful location. Nairobi is a bustling city, but the school is in a quiet and green suburb and you’ll have easy access to countryside, scenery and amazing wildlife.  The Kenyan coast and mountains are world-class destinations and there will be an excellent reward and relocation package. 

If you’re excited by the sound of all this, please download the briefing brochure and the application form.  Our advising consultant, Simon Shneerson, will be happy to answer any questions you may have and the brochure gives contact details for enquiries.

We are planning to start initial screening interviews online during early to mid December, so please apply as soon as you can or at least make contact to express an interest. Depending on your current location, face to face interviews will be held in London on 7th and 9th January, in Nairobi the following week, and online on mutually convenient dates. 

Peponi House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants will be subject to child protection screening, including checks with past employers, the UK Disclosure and Barring Service and/or authorities in other countries.